24HRs Magazine April 2, 2008

Society lets psychopaths "blend in:" Expert

Modern society has become 'fertile ground" for psychopathic behaviour, says a leading expert on cryminal psychology.

"Societies are developing in such a way that the psychopath is having an easier time of it," UBC psychology professor Dr. Robert Hare told law enforcemnet officials at an Abbotsford (Canada) conference on dangerous offenders yesterday. "They can blend in. They can engage in whatever behaviours they behave in and get away with it, when they could not have 15 or 20 years ago."

Changing societies values play a significant role, Hare said in a latter interview. "Society is making it a lot easier for psychopathic behaviour to flourish. The moral, ethical standards we have now are shifting," said Hare, who coathorized the book, Snakes in Suits: When Psycopaths go to Work.

Research has suggested people who qualify as psychopaths make up one per cent of the general population, but as much as 15 percent of the male prison population.

Traits of a psychopathic individual include: - lack of empathy - extreme egocenticity. But the disorder is different from insanity.

"They know the rules. They simply choose not to follow them," Hare said.

It could well become an issue in the court system. Current research is looking at whether psychopathic individuals are somehow less responsible for their actions than the general population, a theory that Hare suggests could produce disasterous results. "The argument is that ... if they don't process emotional material the way the rest of do, they're not completely responsible," said Hare, who added he disagreed with the hypothesis. "My own view is that (psychopaths) know perfectly well what they are doing."

Irwin Loy 24 hours